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Roman London
In AD43, the Romans invaded Britain. A few years later, they started to build London, which they called Londinium. In AD61, thousands of Roman soldiers were living in Britain. Queen Boudicea led the Iceni tribe in a revolt against the Romans. They burned London. But the Romans defeated the Iceni and rebuilt London. During the 3rd century, a wall was built around London. The Romans built six gates in the wall: Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate. But in 410 the Romans left Britain and London was less important.

In 1666, a huge fire destroyed 60% of the City of London - the Great Fire of London. It started in a bakery in Pudding Lane. It spread quickly because most of the houses were built from wood. St Paul's Cathedral was destroyed, but was later rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren.

Modern London
In 1834 a big fire destroyed the Palace of Westminster. The Houses of Parliament were rebuilt. The population of London grew very quickly in the 19th century, from one million in 1800 to four and a half million in 1880. The East End of London was very crowded and very dirty. Many people died of disease because they drank dirty water. Many people were poor and they died young. In 1839 nearly half of the people who died were under ten years old. In 1888, Jack the Ripper killed five women in the East End of London. Hundreds of policemen tried to find Jack, but he was never found. In 1939, the Second World War started. In 1940 and 1941, German aeroplanes bombed London. This is known as The Blitz. Thousands of Londoners died and thousands of houses were destroyed. In 1966, England won the football World Cup at Wembley Stadium. England beat West Germany 4-2. In 2000, the London Eye was opened and in 2012 the London hosted the Olympic Games. !

Medieval London
In 1066, the Normans invaded England. William The Conqueror was crowned in Westminster Abbey. He started to build The Tower of London. His son started to build the Palace of Westminster. London Bridge was built in 1209. It was the only bridge in London across the River Thames and it became very busy. In 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But on 5th November, guards looked in rooms underneath parliament and they found Guy Fawkes. During the 17th century, London grew outside the old Roman walls. The area to the west of the walls was called the West End, and the area to the east of the walls was called the East End. Many rich people lived in the West End, including the kings and queens of England. Poor people lived in the East End. In 1665, the Great Plague killed more than 100,000 people. Fleas that lived on rats spread the disease. Rich people left London and lived in the countryside. About a third of the people in London died.

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